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ROAD SAFETY ANNUAL REPORT 2019

BELGIUM

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2019 | BELGIUM

© INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT FORUM/OECD 2019 2

Country Profile

Population in 2018: 11.4 million

GDP per capita in 2018: 46 652 USD

Cost of road crashes: 1.4% of GDP (2015)

Road network: 154 575 kilometres

Registered motor vehicles in 2017: 7.6 million (cars 78%; goods vehicles 11%; motorcycles

6.5%)

Volume of traffic: +15% between 2000 and 2017

Speed limits: 30-50 km/h on urban roads; 70-90 km/h on rural roads; 120 km/h on motorways

Limits on Blood Alcohol Content: 0.5 g/l for

general drivers; 0.2 g/l for professional drivers

BELGIUM

Belgium recorded 604 road fatalities in 2018 – a slight improvement on the previous

record low registered in 2017. Since 2010, the number of annual road deaths has fallen

by 29%. Despite the steady progress, it appears unlikely that the target of no more than

420 road deaths in 2020 will be achieved.

Trends

Belgium registered an overall

decrease in the number of road

deaths in both 2017 and 2018.

According to latest available data,

604 persons lost their lives in traffic

crashes in Belgium in 2018. This

represents a decrease of five

fatalities on the previous year. In

2017, 609 road deaths were

reported, a 9.1% decline on the 670

fatalities recorded in 2016.

Preliminary data for 2019 appear

ominous, however. In the first

trimester of 2019, Belgium recorded

14 more road fatalities and 2.3%

more injury crashes than during the same period of 2018. The majority of the increase in

fatalities was registered in the region of Wallonia (Vias, 2019).

The longer-term trend for road deaths in Belgium has been encouraging. Between

2000 and 2018, the number of annual road fatalities fell by 59%. The rate of road death

reduction has remained relatively reliable with fatalities dropping an average of 4.7% per

year during this time.

The number of traffic deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in Belgium has fallen by 63%

between 2000 and 2018. In 2018, 5.3 traffic deaths per 100 000 inhabitants were

recorded, compared to 14.4 in 2000. By way of comparison the average in the European

Union is 4.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2018.

Measured as traffic deaths per billion vehicle-kilometres (vkm) driven, the fatality

risk of Belgium showed a similarly encouraging long-term trend. In 2017 this metric

stood at 5.9, 64% lower than in 2000.

Belgium recorded 0.8 road fatalities per 10 000 registered vehicles in 2018. This

represents a decrease of 69% compared to the year 2000, when the rate of deaths to

registered vehicles stood at 2.6.



Figure 1. Road safety, vehicle stock and GDP trends Index 2000 = 100

Note: registered vehicles do not include mopeds.

The picture for fatalities by road user groups shows that passenger car occupants

continue to be the group most affected by road crashes. In 2018, passenger car

occupants accounted for a plurality of road deaths with 45% of the total. They were

followed by motorcyclists (15%), cyclists (15%), pedestrians (12%) and moped riders

(3%).

The largest decrease in 2018 was registered among pedestrians with 21 fewer (-22.1%)

deaths compared to 2017. They were followed by car occupants who saw 10 fewer

deaths (-3.5%). Moped riders also saw 25% fewer fatalities – a decrease of 6 on 2017.

Less positively, cyclists saw 17.3% more fatalities in 2018 – an increase of 13 deaths on

the year. Likewise, motorcyclists recorded an increase of 12.8% translating to 10 more

fatalities than in 2017. In 2018 almost one quarter of cyclists killed were riding pedelecs,

especially in the case of old people.

The long-term trend shows that traffic in Belgium has become safer for all road user

groups. Since 2000, the strongest declines were registered among passenger car

occupants and moped riders who saw reductions in the number of annual road fatalities

of 70% and 72%, respectively. The user group that has benefitted least are

motorcyclists, who saw the number of crash deaths fall by 25% since 2000.



Figure 2. Road fatalities by road user group in percentage of total, 2018

Road deaths by age group in 2018 showed some changes compared to 2017. There

was a sharp decrease in the number of annual road deaths among 18-20 year olds of

41.2%. On the other hand, among people between 65 and 74 years old, the number of

fatal road casualties increased by 36.5%.

Looking at the longer-term trend, since 2000 the number of road deaths decreased for all

groups. Young people benefitted the most from road safety improvements during this

time with every age category up until 25 years old seeing road fatalities drop by a degree

of around 75% or greater. Older people saw lesser, but still significant, gains during this

period with those above 65 seeing annual road fatalities drop by more than 25%

compared to figures from 2000.

Despite recent improvements, young people continue to be at high risk in traffic. 21-24

year olds support a mortality rate of 8.3 road fatalities per 100 000 persons.

However, elderly people have surpassed the young people in this regard. Where mortality

rates for young people have more than halved since 2010, rates have remained stagnant

for the elderly people. Those above 75 now have the highest mortality rate, with 9.7 road

deaths per 100 000 persons.



Figure 3. Road fatality rates by age group Deaths per 100 000 population in a given age group, 2000-2018

Figure 4. Road fatality rate by age and road user group, 2018

Fatalities per 100 000 population

Analysis of fatalities by road type shows that the rural network is the deadliest. In

2018, a slight majority, 51%, of deaths occurred on rural roads, 32% on urban roads and

16% on motorways. This repartition has remained relatively stable in recent years.

In 2018, in comparison to 2017, the number of road deaths increased by 1% on rural

roads while decreasing 3.4% on urban roads and 1.1% on motorways.

Since 2000, road safety has improved the most on rural roads where annual road

fatalities decreased by 63%, on urban roads by 51% and on motorways by 60%.



Figure 5. Road fatalities by road type

Figure 6. Evolution of road deaths by user category, age group and road type,

2010-2018

Fatality data are essential to understand road safety issues, but hardly sufficient.

Information on serious injuries from crashes is also critically important. Yet injury

data are much more difficult to obtain, validate and - where available - compare. In

2018, 3 636 Belgian road users were hospitalised, a decrease of 3.3% on 2017 and a

63% fall on 2000.

Economic costs of road crashes

In Belgium there is no immediately recent information on the cost of crashes. Unit costs

are based on value transfer from European medians (Wijnen et al., 2017). Based on this



methodology, road crash costs would amount in 2015 to EUR 5.9 billion or 1.4% of

Belgium’s GDP.

Table 1. Estimation of the costs of road crashes, 2015

Unit cost [EUR] Total [EUR]

Fatalities 2 519 610 1.8 billion

Serious injuries 311 916 1.3 billion

Slight injuries 30 203 1.4 billion

Property damage costs 3 960 1.3 billion

Total 5.9 billion

Total as % of GDP 1.4%

Behaviour

The behaviour of road users is an important determinant of a country’s road safety

performance. Speed, and especially inappropriate speed, is one of the main causes of

crashes in Belgium.

In 2015, speed outside built-up areas was measured through floating car data (FCD),

recorded by GPS or mobile phones. The measurement showed that Belgian drivers drive

too fast. Speeding issues are the most problematic on motorways and two-lane roads

(90 km/h), with an alarming number of speeding violations of more than 10 km/h (over

30%).

In 2015, speed inside built-up areas was measured with a radar system. The

measurement showed that in 30 km/h zones, 36% of car drivers complied with the speed

limit and 64% drove more than 10 km/h too fast. In school zones, 10% of drivers

respected the 30 km/h speed limit and 60% drove more than 10 km/h too fast. On

50 km/h zones, 64% of drivers complied with the speed limit and 10% drove more than

10 km/h too fast. The results demonstrate frequent speed infringements, especially at

night and in school zones.

Belgium’s first speed camera system to control average speed on a section of a

motorway was put into operation in June 2012. Early 2017, systems were operational in

seven locations. More than 30 additional sections are planned by the Flemish and the

Walloon road authorities, while the Brussels region is also testing a first project.

Flanders lowered the general speed limit outside built-up areas from 90 to 70 km/h, as of

1 January 2017; however most of these roads were already limited to 70 km/h.

Moreover, as of 2017, local decision makers need to justify a speed higher than 70 km,

whereas previously they needed to give reasons for not allowing 90 km/h. This also

means that the default speed limits are not the same all over Belgium but change at

regional borders.

The table below summarises the main speed limits in Belgium.



Table 2. Passenger car speed limits by road type, 2019

General speed limit

Urban roads 30-50 km/h

Rural roads 70-90 km/h

Motorways 120 km/h

Driving under the influence of alcohol is another major cause of road crashes in

Belgium, as in most IRTAD countries.

The maximum authorised blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.5 g/l. Since January 2015 the

limit for professional drivers is 0.2 g/l.

An alcohol-related crash is defined as a crash involving a road user (including a

pedestrian) who was subjected to a test and either refused to be tested or had a blood

alcohol concentration of 0.5 g/l or higher. In 2018, 1.94% of car drivers tested had a

blood alcohol level above the legal limit, the same proportion as 2005 and 2007 but

slightly lower than in 2012 (2.69%) and 2015 (2.74%). Furthermore, the share of highly

intoxicated drivers (more than 0.35 mg or 0.8 g/l BAC) among offenders remains stable

(from 69% in 2015 to 68% in 2018). Behavioural measurement highlights an alarming

upward trend of driving under the influence of alcohol during the week and weekend

nights.

In Belgium legislation sets limits for driving under the influence of drugs: THC or

cannabis (1 ng/ml), amphetamines (25 ng/ml), MDMA or ecstasy (25 ng/ml), morphine

(10 ng/ml) and cocaine (25 ng/ml). Drivers suspected of being impaired are tested for

drugs. They can also be tested if the driver transports drugs, admits having taken drugs

or is involved in a crash. Since December 2015, a new executive decree under the road

traffic law went into force. It offers additional tools and quicker ways to determine

psychoactive substances in blood and saliva.

In 2009, the European research project, "Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol

and Medicines" (DRUID), found for the sample in Belgium that 0.5% of all drivers drove

under the influence of cannabis, 0.4% under the influence of cocaine and 0.2% under the

influence of heroin. No trace of amphetamines ("speed" and/or "ecstasy") was found

among those Belgian drivers tested.

An increasing problem for traffic safety in Belgium is distraction, for instance through

the use of mobile phones while driving. The use of hand-held phones while driving is

forbidden. The use of hands-free devices while driving is authorised. A pilot observation

survey was undertaken in 2015 in three large Belgian cities on the use of mobile phones

by road users waiting at traffic lights. It showed that 7% of the car drivers, 9% of the

drivers of light goods vehicles, 5% of cyclists and 18% of pedestrians used their mobile

phone while stopped at traffic lights.

Recent research on the use of hands-free devices showed that hands-free phoning has

a clear influence on driving behaviour: less and shorter fixations at a number of areas



relevant for traffic safety and modification of the visual scan pattern. This suggests that

during hands-free phoning the driver focuses lesson the traffic situation (Desmet et al.,

2017).

The share of fatigue as a causal factor in crashes is challenging to detect but

nevertheless believed to be a serious issue. Study results show that 5.1% of car journeys

in Belgium involved a driver showing signs of sleepiness (Pelsers and

Diependaele, 2018). The analysis of contextual variables shows that various

circumstances result in a prevalence that is considerably higher than the overall estimate

of 5.1%.

Seat belt use has been compulsory in front seats since 1975 and in rear seats since

1991. Children must be protected by a child restraint appropriate for their size and

weight. In 2018, the rate of seat belt use was 95% for drivers and 96% for front seat

passengers in passenger cars. For rear-seat passengers it was however much lower at

86%. Clear progress in seat belt use occurred between 2003 and 2015. However, the

2010 target of 95% seat belt use has still not been met. In 2017, 87% of the children

were restrained, but only 23% of them with an appropriate system and in the correct

manner (Schoeters and Lequex, 2018).

Table 3. Seat belt wearing rate by car occupancy and road type Percentages

2000 2010 2015 2018

Front seats

Driver .. 86 92 95

Passenger .. 86 92 96

Urban roads (driver) 50 84 91 95

Rural roads (driver) 57 87 93 96

Motorways (driver) 66 90 93 96

Rear seats

General .. .. 86 86

Children (use of child restraint) .. .. 35/891 23/872

1. In 2014, among drivers who agree to have the child seat use investigated, 89% of the children are somehow

restrained, but only 35% correctly so (appropriate system & correct use) (Roynard, 2015).

2. In 2017, 87% of the children were restrained, but only 23% correctly so.

For motorcyclists, helmet wearing is the most effective passive safety habit. All riders

of powered two-wheelers are required to wear helmets. Motorcyclists (>50cc) also have

to wear gloves, boots that protect the ankle, long-sleeved jacket and long trousers. The

helmet-wearing rate by riders of powered two-wheelers is not systematically monitored

for the whole country. In Brussels, the observed rate was 99.3% in 2013 (Riguelle and

Roynard, 2013).

There is no mandatory helmet-use law for cyclists.



Road safety management and strategies

Between 1990 and 2018, the number of fatalities decreased by 69%. The biggest share

of these improvements fell to the period following 2000. Around the time of the

millennium change, road safety became an issue of great public interest in Belgium.

While the number of fatalities had been stagnating or had even increased in the late

1990s, this number has steadily declined since 2001, the year in which the first national

assembly on road safety (Etats Généraux de la Sécurité Routière/Staten-Generaal van de

Verkeersveiligheid) initiated many improvements in infrastructure, enforcement and

education. The most important measures to have contributed to the decline of mortality

in Belgium are:

• reduction of the speed limit on many rural roads;

• stricter control of speed limits;

• black-spot treatment and adjustment of the infrastructure;

• improved safety systems in cars and trucks;

• better road safety awareness through campaigns and educational measures.

Responsibility for the organisation of road safety at the Federal level lies with the

Federal Commission for Road Safety which organises the General Assembly on Road

Safety where the Belgian Road Safety Programme, including the target for 2020, was

decided in 2011.

As a federal country, however, many decisions are taken by the Regions themselves. In

2015, several public responsibilities in relation to road safety shifted from the federal to

regional government. At a federal level, responsibility for traffic regulation (although

speed limits on regional roads are a regional matter), vehicle safety regulation, licensing

(although driver training is now a regional matter) and most of the enforcement chain

has been kept. All other road safety matters (infrastructure, education, campaigns,

training, local police controls) are now determined at the regional level.

The present national road safety strategy was released in 2011 and was updated at

the General Road Safety Assembly in 2015. It was then exclusively focused on the

remaining federal responsibilities and 16 key measures were proposed. For many of

these measures it is still unclear whether they can be implemented. As of December

2017, the Federal Commission for Road Safety, whose status for a time was unclear, is

once again actively meeting and has started a systematic evaluation of the measures

proposed in 2015.

For the Flemish region, the regional government has set up ‘Road safety Flanders’

(‘Vlaams Huis voor de Verkeersveiligheid’ [VHV]) to better align and coordinate all

actions concerning road safety. VHV unites all partners that work on road safety and has

assigned them to four working groups:



education and awareness;

infrastructure, vehicle technology and innovation;

enforcement;

evaluation, monitoring and research.

These working groups have set out a range of measures which form the core of the Road

Safety Plan Flanders 2016 and are now monitoring how these are put into action. The

Road Safety Plan Flanders also includes short-term (2020), medium-term (2030) and

long-term (2050) targets related to fatalities, injuries and number of crashes.

For Wallonia, the Conseil Supérieur Wallon de la Sécurité Routière (CSWSR) has taken

over this responsibility under the leadership of the Agence Wallonne pour la Sécurité

routière (AWSR). A regional General Assembly was organized in June 2017 and a road

safety plan was presented, with the objective to register less than 200 road deaths in

Wallonia in 2020 (as compared to 300 road deaths in 2016). Several recommendations

were proposed including a steady increase of police checks on speed offences and an

increase in checks on driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

For the Brussels region it is not yet clear which agency will take the lead in Road Safety.

The mission from the previous decade, to achieve a 50% decrease in fatalities between

2001 and 2011, was renewed for the period 2011-20. The European target of halving

fatalities by 2020 was adopted, meaning fewer than 420 road fatalities. Forecasting

based on past development predicts between 434 and 635 fatalities for 2020. With the

present efforts Belgium will therefore not reach the 2020 target of 420 and additional

efforts are required.

Figure 7. Trends in road fatalities towards national target



Measures

Several measures to improve road safety management have recently been put into place.

Enforcement

In February 2018, a range of fees and possible prison sentences have been raised

significantly (up to 100%). The law also makes the vehicle owner liable.

As of February 2018, a judge is obliged to impose an alcolock for drivers caught with a

blood alcohol content above 1.8 g/l (and above 1.2 g/l for recidivists).

As of March 2018, a new central procedure for fines eases the bureaucratic effort of

distributing and following up on fines. Moreover it allows police to send fines to drivers

from other countries.

As of June 2018, a new procedure for the analysis of saliva and blood for drugs has

been introduced that allows the police to conduct more controls.

Drivers’ licensing

Risk perception tests, consisting of a few short movies that have to be evaluated by

the candidate, are now part of the mandatory practical exam.

In Flanders, novice drivers have to attend a follow-up course six to nine months after

obtaining their licence. The training takes 4 hours and costs EUR 100. It consists of

practical training on a closed circuit and of group discussions about their attitudes on

the road.

Autonomous vehicle testing

Two pilots with autonomous vehicles are now running in Belgium, one on a 500 m

route in an urban environment and the other on a 2.5 km route in rural environment.

The shuttle buses seat 15 passengers, pass through actual traffic and interact with

other road-users (https://youtu.be/wBvnED97J-8).

Definition, methodology, data collection

Road fatality: a person who died immediately or within 30 days of a crash.

• Seriously injured: a person who stays for treatment for more than 24 hours in a

hospital following the crash, as reported by police.

• Slightly injury: a person who claims to be in need of medical treatment, as reported

by police.

https://youtu.be/wBvnED97J-8



The differentiation between a slightly and a seriously injured person is not reliable as this

distinction is determined by police at the crash scene. Most Belgian reports therefore

treat slightly and seriously injured jointly.

Road safety data are electronically collected and centralised by the police force. After

some validation procedures, data are transferred to the National Statistics Office. The

National Statistics Office carries out some corrections and adds the fatalities occurring

within 30 days to the database. This latter operation is done by linking the notification of

death (a paper form with very basic information) that is sent by the Department of

Justice to the National Statistical Office.

The number of slightly and seriously injured persons is the most likely to be

underreported, as many crashes, especially with cyclists and motorcyclists, are not

reported to the police. Since 2015, a new procedure has been under development to take

hospital data into account. This will result in correction for underreporting and an

estimation of the number of victims with injuries of a Maximum Abbreviated Injury Score

of 3 and above (MAIS3+).

In 2014 the road safety database in Belgium was modified. The database now contains

both injury crashes recorded by the police at the scene of the accident and injury crashes

self-reported at a police station. The quality of the database has also improved thanks to

changes in the data processing method, which notably allow for better identification of

user types and of characteristics of individuals and vehicles. The database is therefore

more comprehensive. However, it also means that statistics from 2014 onwards are not

fully comparable with those of previous years. Also, due to the registration of cases that

would earlier not have been registered, there is an increase in the number of the

"unknown" category in many variables. Comparisons with previous years should

therefore be made with caution.

Resources

Recent research

De Ceunynck, T., F. Slootmans and S. Daniels (2018), In-depth study of characteristics

and profiles of severe moped crashes in built-up areas. Brussels, Belgium: Vias institute

– Knowledge Centre Road Safety,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Diepteanalyse%20van%20de%20karakteristieken%20

en%20profielen%20van%20ernstige%20bromfietsongevallen%20binnen%20de%20bebo

uwde%20kom/In-depth_study_of_characteristics-MOPED.pdf

Meesmann, U., K. Torfs, H. Nguyen and W. Van den Berghe (2018); Do we care about

road safety? Key findings from the ESRA1 project in 38 countries, Brussels, Belgium: Vias

institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety,

https://www.esranet.eu/storage/minisites/esra2017-en.pdf

Meunier, J. C., E. Dupont, J. Mersch and W. Van den Berghe (2018), My Life After the

Crash - MyLAC - An international study on medical, psycho-social and economic

https://www.vias.be/publications/Diepteanalyse%20van%20de%20karakteristieken%20en%20profielen%20van%20ernstige%20bromfietsongevallen%20binnen%20de%20bebouwde%20kom/In-depth_study_of_characteristics-MOPED.pdf



https://www.esranet.eu/storage/minisites/esra2017-en.pdf



consequences of road injuries, Brussels, Belgium: Vias institute – Knowledge Centre

Road Safety,

https://www.vias.be/en/companies-and-government/projects/international/mylac/

Pelssers, B. and K. Diependaele (2018), Sleepy at the wheel – Analysis of the extent and

characteristics of sleepiness among Belgian car drivers in 2017. Brussels, Belgium: Vias

institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Slaperig%20achter%20het%20stuur%202017/Sleepy_

at_the_wheel.pdf

Schoeters, A. and A. Lequeux (2018); Are our children safely fastened? Results of the

national Vias behaviour measurement on the use of child restraint systems 2017.

Brussels, Belgium: Vias institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Klikken%20we%20onze%20kinderen%20wel%20veilig

%20vast/Are%20our%20children%20safely%20fastened.pdf

Van Vlierden, K., K. Declercq, A. Pirdavani, K. Brijs, U. Meesmann, K. Torfs, P. Silverans,

H. Eftekhar, and M. Cools (2018); Inequalities in Traffic Safety. Final Report, Brussels,

Belgium: Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO), https://www.vias.be/publications/INTRAS-

Inequalities%20in%20traffic%20safety/INTRAS_-_Inequalities_in_traffic_safety_NL.pdf

Websites

Vias Institute: https://www.vias.be/en/

Road safety barometers: https://www.vias.be/en/research/road-safety-monitoring-

survey/

Conseil supérieur wallon de la sécurité routière: http://www.cswsr.be/

Agence wallonne pour la Sécurité routière: http://www.awsr.be/

Instituut voor Mobiliteit Universiteit Hasselt: https://www.uhasselt.be/IMOB-EN

Vlaamse stichting verkeerskunde (Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge):

https://www.vsv.be/

References

Desmet, C. and K. Diependaele (2017), Does handsfree phoning reduce our alertness on

the road? Results of an eye tracking study on the highway, Belgian Road Safety Institute

– Knowledge Centre Road Safety, Brussels,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Vermindert%20handenvrij%20bellen%20onze%20alert

heid%20op%20de%20weg/Does_handsfree_phoning_reduce_our_alertness_on_the_roa

d_-_Summary.pdf

https://www.vias.be/en/companies-and-government/projects/international/mylac/

https://www.vias.be/publications/Slaperig%20achter%20het%20stuur%202017/Sleepy_at_the_wheel.pdf


https://www.vias.be/publications/Klikken%20we%20onze%20kinderen%20wel%20veilig%20vast/Are%20our%20children%20safely%20fastened.pdf


https://www.vias.be/publications/INTRAS-Inequalities%20in%20traffic%20safety/INTRAS_-_Inequalities_in_traffic_safety_NL.pdf

https://www.vias.be/publications/INTRAS-Inequalities%20in%20traffic%20safety/INTRAS_-_Inequalities_in_traffic_safety_NL.pdf

https://www.vias.be/en/

https://www.vias.be/en/research/road-safety-monitoring-survey/

https://www.vias.be/en/research/road-safety-monitoring-survey/

http://www.cswsr.be/

http://www.awsr.be/

https://www.uhasselt.be/IMOB-EN

https://www.vsv.be/

https://www.vias.be/publications/Vermindert%20handenvrij%20bellen%20onze%20alertheid%20op%20de%20weg/Does_handsfree_phoning_reduce_our_alertness_on_the_road_-_Summary.pdf





Lequeux, Q. (2016), National roadside survey of seatbelt use in Belgium 2015, Belgian

Road Safety Institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety, Brussels,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Hoe%20staat%20het%20met%20onze%20gordeldrach

t%20-

%20Resultaten%20van%20de%20gedragsmeting%20gordel%202015/What_about_the_

seatbelt_use.pdf

Pelssers, B. and K. Diependaele (2018), Sleepy at the wheel. Analysis of the extent and

characteristics of sleepiness among Belgian car drivers in 2017, Vias institute -

Knowledge Centre Road Safety,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Slaperig%20achter%20het%20stuur%202017/Sleepy_

at_the_wheel.pdf

Riguelle, F. and M. Roynard (2013), Mesure de comportement équipements individuels

de protection motards en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale 2013, Belgian Road Safety

Institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety, Brussels, Belgium,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Gedragsmeting%20-

%20Persoonlijke%20beschermingsmiddelen%20van%20gebruikers%20van%20gemotori

seerde%20tweewielers/Equipements%20de%20protection%20individuelle%20des%20uti

lisateurs%20de%20deux-roues%20motoris%C3%A9s%20en%20RBC.pdf

Roynard, M. (2015), Are children Transported safely? National behavioural survey on the

use of child restraint systems 2014, Belgian Road Safety Institute – Knowledge Centre

Road Safety, Brussels,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Worden%20kinderen%20veilig%20vervoerd/Are%20ch

ildren%20transported%20safely%20-

%20National%20behavioural%20survey%20on%20the%20use%20of%20child%20restra

int%20systems%202014.pdf

Schoeters, A. and Q. Lequeux (2018), Are our children safely fastened? Results of the

national Vias behavior measurement on the use of child restraint systems 2017, Vias

Institute – Knowledge Centre Road Safety, Brussels,

https://www.vias.be/publications/Klikken%20we%20onze%20kinderen%20wel%20veilig

%20vast/Are%20our%20children%20safely%20fastened.pdf

Vias (2019), Road Safety Barometre 1st Trimester 2019, Vias Institute,

https://www.vias.be/storage/main/verkeersveiligheidsbarometer-q1-2019.pdf (Dutch),

https://www.vias.be/storage/main/barometre-de-la-securite-routiere-q1-2019.pdf

(French)

Wijnen, W., et al. (2017), Crash cost estimates for European countries, D3.2 of the

H2020 project SafetyCube,

https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/bitstream/2134/24949/1/D32-

CrashCostEstimates_Final.pdf

https://www.vias.be/publications/Hoe%20staat%20het%20met%20onze%20gordeldracht%20-%20Resultaten%20van%20de%20gedragsmeting%20gordel%202015/What_about_the_seatbelt_use.pdf






https://www.vias.be/publications/Gedragsmeting%20-%20Persoonlijke%20beschermingsmiddelen%20van%20gebruikers%20van%20gemotoriseerde%20tweewielers/Equipements%20de%20protection%20individuelle%20des%20utilisateurs%20de%20deux-roues%20motoris%C3%A9s%20en%20RBC.pdf




https://www.vias.be/publications/Worden%20kinderen%20veilig%20vervoerd/Are%20children%20transported%20safely%20-%20National%20behavioural%20survey%20on%20the%20use%20of%20child%20restraint%20systems%202014.pdf






https://www.vias.be/storage/main/verkeersveiligheidsbarometer-q1-2019.pdf

https://www.vias.be/storage/main/barometre-de-la-securite-routiere-q1-2019.pdf

https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/bitstream/2134/24949/1/D32-CrashCostEstimates_Final.pdf

https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/bitstream/2134/24949/1/D32-CrashCostEstimates_Final.pdf



Road safety and traffic data

Note: registered vehicles do not include mopeds.

1990 2000 2010 2016 2017 2018 2017 2010 2000 1990

Reported safety data

Fatalities 1 976 1 470 850 670 609 604 -0.8% -9.9% -58.9% -69.4%

Injury crashes 62 446 49 065 45 745 40 123 38 025 38 455 1.1% -4.2% -21.6% -38.4%

Injured persons hospitalised 17 479 9 847 5 606 4 095 3 762 3 636 -3.3% -11.2% -63.1% -79.2%

Deaths per 100,000 population 19.9 14.4 7.8 5.9 5.4 5.3 -1.2% -10.5% -63.1% -73.3%

Deaths per 10,000 registered

vehicles4.3 2.6 1.3 0.9 0.8 0.8 -2.3% -12.6% -68.7% -81.4%

Deaths per billion vehicle

kilometres28.1 16.3 8.6 6.6 5.9 .. .. .. .. ..

Fatalities by road user

Pedestrians 301 142 108 81 95 74 -22.1% -8.6% -47.9% -75.4%

Cyclists 196 134 73 81 75 88 17.3% 8.6% -34.3% -55.1%

Moped riders 110 64 23 16 24 18 -25.0% 12.5% -71.9% -83.6%

Motorcyclists 106 118 103 79 78 88 12.8% 11.4% -25.4% -17.0%

Passenger car occupants 1 181 922 451 343 285 275 -3.5% -19.8% -70.2% -76.7%

Other road users 82 90 92 70 52 61 17.3% -12.9% -32.2% -25.6%

Fatalities by age group

0-14 years 108 52 28 16 14 14 0.0% -12.5% -73.1% -87.0%

15-17 years 72 55 21 10 12 9 -25.0% -10.0% -83.6% -87.5%

18-20 years 202 130 65 42 34 20 -41.2% -52.4% -84.6% -90.1%

21-24 years 245 198 108 46 43 45 4.7% -2.2% -77.3% -81.6%

25-64 years 992 784 467 385 349 338 -3.2% -12.2% -56.9% -65.9%

65-74 years .. 114 67 73 52 71 36.5% -2.7% -37.7% ..

≥ 75 years .. 124 88 89 99 98 -1.0% 10.1% -21.0% ..

Fatalities by road type

Urban roads .. 401 249 194 203 196 -3.4% 1.0% -51.1% ..

Rural roads .. 836 459 336 307 310 1.0% -7.7% -62.9% ..

Motorw ays .. 233 105 100 95 94 -1.1% -6.0% -59.7% ..

Traffic data

Registered vehicles

(thousands)4 594 5 735 6 689 7 302 7 419 7 533 1.5% 3.2% 31.4% 64.0%

Vehicle kilometres (millions) 70 276 90 036 98 678 101 668 103 175 .. .. .. .. ..

Registered vehicles per 1,000

population461.8 560.1 617.1 645.5 653.6 660.9 1.1% 2.4% 18.0% 43.1%

2018 % change over

belgium · country profile population in 2018 ... belgium’s first speed camera system to control...

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